Tag Archives: No Cook

Calaveras de azucar (sugar skulls) are a folk art originating from southern Mexico for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The sugar (azucar in Español) is said to balance the bitterness of death (muerte), and the small calaveras (skulls) are traditionally offered on All Saint’s Day (November 1) to beloved departed children (angelitos / inocentes) as one would leave flowers graveside. Because this recipe is an egg-free edible version that doesn’t use meringue powder or royal icing, it makes the perfect allergy-friendly, vegan, and low-calorie candy for a themed Halloween celebration!

Use a small silicone spatula to mix 4 teaspoons of water (agua) into a bowl filled with the white sugar. (The key to sugar skull success is patient and thorough mixing to yield slightly damp sugar the consistency of sand.) Use the spatula to scoop globs of damp sugar into the mold, and also to pat it down compactly into each cavity. Smooth the top of each to flatten the sugar to sit evenly with the mold. (This helps later when combining the pieces to make 3D skull shapes.)

Place a cookie sheet on top of the mold. Flip them over while holding them together. The mold will now sit inverted on the cookie sheet. Carefully lift the plastic mold off to leave the sugar shapes on the sheet. (If some of them stick, gently flex two opposite corners of the mold in different directions. The remaining sugar shapes should pop out without breaking if you hover right over the sheet.) Make a second set of sugar shapes the same way. Let these dry at least 5 hours. (I left mine overnight, and decorated them the next day.) Another option is to bake these 5 to 10 minutes in a 200ᵒ oven. (Make sure to observe them closely in case your oven’s temperature is off.)

“Glue” a set of front and back skull (calavera) pieces together using Wilton ready to use icing. (This is an easy allergy-friendly egg-free alternative to a royal icing of meringue that hardens for the same traditional look, but note that they do contain corn. I found a 4 pack of primary colors in-store at Michaels that are the same size of a gel icing… but don’t use a gel because it doesn’t harden in the same way so that it may be handled when dry.) Press each shape together firmly and set aside.

You may leave these as Halloween skull candies or decorate them as a Mexican folk art. Add traditional decorative icing (glaseado) details like smile lines, hearts, flowers, swirls, dots, and marks that look like apostrophes. (The small icing tubes have a small tip built in that’s perfect adding small details to the skulls.) Let these sit overnight to harden thoroughly.

Wilton’s helpful hotline declared that the icing never really goes bad and may be used years later if capped tightly after use… good to know, but I doubt the small tubes will last long! Once dry, the sugar skulls (calaveras de azucar) may be handled without damaging them.

They may even be eaten as candy, which is wonderful considering most sugar skulls are inedible. (And so are the most popular recipes for them.) Since sugar is only 15 calories per teaspoon… I’m guessing that these are only about 35 calories each!

Set these sugar skulls out in a traditional Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) offrenda, Halloween candy buffet, in the center of a October dinner table as edible decoration in lieu of after dinner mints!

Celebrate Mother’s Day the Mary Poppins way with a spoonful of sugar in your tea! This no-cook recipe for pink sweethearts utilizes natural beet juice instead of artificial food coloring, but you can substitute any color of juice you like. Plus, they’re really easy to make and mold into any shape you desire. They’re a “supercallifragilisticexpialidocious” alternative for decorating your baked goods as well, because they contain no corn syrup. It only takes a matter of minutes to mix and mold, then let them dry overnight. They are “practically perfect in every way”.

This super easy no cook recipe can be made well in advance of any gathering, or just made to enjoy a slice at a time straight from the freezer. It’s also a great alternative to the parade of traditional office birthday cakes. It has a gluten-free nut crust that may be enjoyed by almost everyone, which is also why it’s written with dairy-free ice cream. It can easily be made with traditional dairy… but in this way vegans, allergy sufferers, and the lactose intolerant may happily partake. For this occasion, I used pint sizes of coconut milk “ice-cream”. (A mint chocolate chip pint was used here for the bottom layer, chocolate for the middle layer with the cherries, and coconut for the top layer with the chocolate chunks.) It’s richer than the almond milk variety (which is also tasty), and it always surprises people when I tell them it’s dairy-free. Previously, I’ve even used a gallon sized regular Neapolitan ice-cream and just split up the colors for the layers. You can use whatever you have left in the freezer or even add more layers! Add multiple kinds of nuts, chips, or chunks… whatever is in your pantry. For this recipe, no rules are just right!

Instructions:

Place the cherries in a strainer over a bowl, and set aside to drain. (The leftover cherry juice makes a great sweetener so you can add more greens to a smoothie!) Place the pecans in a quart size freezer bag (because it’s stronger than sandwich bags) and break them up using a kitchen-mallet/meat-tenderizer. It’s so much more fun than chopping! Microwave the coconut oil in a glass bowl just until it softens. (Extra-virgin coconut oil is so good for the skin that it can even be found in the vitamin section of Whole Foods as a supplement.) Then add the crushed pecans, sugar, and cinnamon. Mix well, then pour/push into the bottom of a coconut oil “greased” springform pan. Smooth it out evenly with a spatula so that the entire bottom is covered. Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes, or until it feels frozen and solid. During this time, take out the mint chocolate chip to soften it. (Keep in mind that regular ice-cream melts quicker than vegan “ice-cream”, so if using the traditional stuff- take it out later!) When the nut crust is frozen and the quart has melted enough, smooth the “ice-cream” over the crust evenly with a spatula. Freeze the pan and take out the chocolate pint to melt. Spread the chocolate pint on when the previous layer has refrozen solid. Gently push the drained cherries into the “ice-cream” (= chocolate covered cherries). Freeze the pan again, and take out the coconut pint. When everything’s ready, spread on the last layer. Top this with the chocolate chunks & softly press them into the coconut “ice-cream”. Cover it and keep it frozen until it’s almost time for dessert. (Cutting through it is easier if you run the knife under hot water first.) It’s always great to have a stand-by gluten-free vegan desert recipe, so no one has to be left out of the fun. This easy one is a lot of fun to make with kiddos, as it has very little to measure and requires no knives until serving time. Any leftovers can be stored in the freezer and wrapped as individual slices for an occasional sweet-treat! Happy Un-birthday! 🙂 Faithfully Yours,

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Le fidèLe Designs website is primarily written and edited by Leigh N. Eldred personally. It accepts forms of compensation, to include affiliate linking, that may influence content which may not always be identified, but honest views and opinions are always given on those topics or products. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party in question. This website avoids any content which might present a conflict of interest.